The Flame We're Burning
by HeyItsSkinny
Summary: Set in the world of Avatar one full cycle after Korra, Tori Vega is discovered to be the new Avatar and is traveling the world to learn bending. Fire Nation Princess Jade has been exiled from her country and forced to find Tori for an unknown reason. Disclaimer: Victorious copyright Dan Schneider and Avatar copyright Bryan Konietzko. T for language.


**Hey Guys,**

**For those of you who don't know, I had a fic I was working on called "I Dare You." Because it was RPF, removed it from the site. For this reason, it has been transferred to my DeviantArt account with the same username. If you desire to read it and review but don't have a DA account (although you should really get one), feel free to PM me reviews with the subject somehow relating to "I Dare You."**

**Awesomeness!**

**xolys**

Jade had been chasing the Avatar since her discommunication with her family in the Fire Nation three years previously. The brunette water tribe girl would come so close, but then she'd say something that would chase her off. What is this crap?

The Fire Nation princess stalked across the room she stayed in at the current northern Earth Kingdom tavern and sat at the bay window. It just wasn't fair. She didn't want to kill the Avatar; her father simply disowned her until she could "prove herself as a useful member of the family" and capture her.

And the worst part? Her own ex-boyfriend, a soldier named Beck, taught the girl to firebend. _I guess that's what I guess for dumping him as soon as Avatar Tori walked into Fire Nation territory_, Jade thought to herself.

Then she remembered something. If the Avatar had just finished learning firebending, then she would be off looking for one of the airbenders able to teach her, likely at the Eastern Air Temple.

Jade grinned and grabbed her bag of spare clothing, leaving her payment on the bed and leaping out the window. After she traveled a few feet away from the building, she used her firebending to slow the fall until she reached the ground. Entering the complementary stable, she found her mongoose dragon curled up on a pile of hay with her raven eagle, Shou, perched atop him.

"Here, Shou," Jade extended her arm and the bird flew over to her. "Good girl. It's time we go find the Avatar. Let's go, Kozan."

The mongoose dragon pulled itself upright and Jade climbed on, hooking her bag over her shoulder and letting the bird fly up to the sky above and look for the target. "Follow Shou," she commanded and the beast below her left on a run toward the Eastern Air Temple.

~

Avatar Tori climbed via buffalo yak up the mountain outside the Eastern Air Temple. For almost three years, she had been traveling around the world in an attempt to learn the three forms of bending that she hadn't found at home.

As a female waterbender in the Northern Water Tribe, Tori had major difficulty finding a teacher so that she could learn to bend for real. In fact, she had ended up in the Southern Water Tribe, learning to bend from a boy named Andre who lived with his admittedly insane grandmother.

Unfortunately, Tori also had a sister who tended to tag along: a non-bender named Trina. In fact, Trina wasn't good at much except taking up too much space and creating unintentional diversions. Trina momentarily rode on her own buffalo yak behind Tori and complained constantly about how uncomfortable the animal was. Tori's pet white hamster, Miki, crawled up to her shoulder in irritation and chattered angrily at Trina before returning to her lap and sleeping.

Tori laughed at her pet, then caught a glimpse of the temple through the clouds. Young airbenders flew around on gliders and, on another mountain, a few sky bison flew in tiny circles around the fruit trees.

"Trina, shush, we're here."

The nonbender celebrated. "It's about time. I thought we were going to end up on the wrong mountain."

Tori turned backward to shush her sister as a red-headed airbender flew by on her glider and perched on one of the rocks.

"Hello. I'm Cat."

"I'm Tori," the Avatar introduced herself. "I'm the Avatar."

Cat smiled and flew in a quick circle around the newcomers before landing back on the rock. "Who's the other girl?"

"I'm Trina, Tori's big sister. Can we finish climbing now?"

The redhead looked shocked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Tori reached out and placed her hand on the airbender's shoulder. "She means that our buffalo yaks are going to slip soon. Could you show us the easiest way to get to the top?"

"Can't you earthbend?" Cat shook her head in disbelief that the Avatar hadn't thought of that earlier.

Tori felt like an idiot for not realizing that earlier. With a swift movement, the rocks holding up the buffalo yaks rose straight upward until they could simply walk onto the flat land in front of them.

Before either sister could speak, Cat had taken off on her glider again and two nuns hustled over and helped the newcomers off of their animals and led the beasts across a bridge to the stables. Cat returned and giggled upon landing. "Let's go see Monk Sikowitz. He will find you a teacher."

The sisters followed Cat in silence until an especially attractive male airbender crossed their paths. Trina giddily changed her path and followed him out to the bison stables where he promised to take her flying on his bison. Tori shook her head at Trina and continued following Cat into the main temple.

There, she found a man sitting cross-legged on the ground, meditating. Like Cat, the nuns, and Trina's new boyfriend, Monk Sikowitz had blue tattoos tracing out arrows which were visible on his forehead and hands.

"Excuse me, Sikowitz," Cat called the attention of the meditating monk and bowed. Tori followed suit. Monk Sikowitz opened one eye to view his visitors before rising to his feet and walking over to greet them. "This is Tori. She's the Avatar and she's come here to learn airbending."

"Welcome, Tori," Sikowitz bowed. Tori matched the monk's movements. "Before I assign you a teacher, I would like to view how you bend. Learning how you act will help me match you to not only a teacher, but also a friend."

Tori nodded.

"Cat, please go assemble a bucket of water, a pile of stones, and a candle in the courtyard."

The redhead nodded and created an air scooter, wheeling away from the Avatar and Monk Sikowitz.

Caterina is a recent master," Sikowitz explained. "She learns quickly, but we had to speak very carefully to her. She gets insulted easily."

"I saw," Tori chuckled. "She looked flustered when my sister made a comment earlier."

"Cat gets like that. Despite her shortcoming in that way, she is an amazing bender. Nobody taught her the air scooter developed by Avatar Aang; she learned it herself."

Cat reappeared in the doorway, still seated on an air scooter. "Sikowitz, the courtyard is ready."

Tori followed the monk out to the courtyard, where several of the Air Nomads had gathered on the outskirts to view the young Avatar.

Monk Sikowitz crossed the courtyard to bring Tori a pale of water. "Show me your favorite move," he stated and placed the bucket at her feet.

After a few moments of thought, Tori took the water from the bucket as well as from the nearby pond to create a waterspout below her and elevate herself several yards off of the floor.

Sikowitz nodded and called the girl back down to the ground. "Would you mind returning our water?" He and the rest of the Air Nomads chuckled. Tori blushed and did as he had asked.

Then Sikowtiz led her over to the pile of stones and asked her to do the same with them. Tori stared at the rocks for a few minutes and remembered what her earthbending teacher, a calm, balanced man named Lane, told her. _Remember the neutral jing._

Deciding on her move, Tori used the rocks before her to create rocky armor for herself, then tossed pieces of the armor up into the air as an example of offense.

Sikowitz still didn't appear too impressed, but something shone in his eyes that Tori hoped was approval. Finally, he brought her the candle and set it before her.

"Fire is an element of power. It is the opposite of your birth element. I am interested to see how you use it." He bowed and backed away.

Without thinking about it, Tori produced her own flame in her hand and tossed it back and forth in thought. Finally, she settled on propelling herself into the air with a red flame, then launching herself higher with a blue one. She let herself fall most of the way back to the ground, then slowed her fall with more red fire.

The audience of airbenders applauded in approbation. Tori smiled, creating a dragon-shaped flame and swinging it around her playfully. All of the children who watched cheered at the playfulness of it.

Sikowitz laughed at the last part. "You are very talented, Avatar Tori. I would like you to walk with me."

Tori followed the monk through the temples until they reached an orchard. "Avatar Tori, I am glad you were quick to choose defensive techniques. You don't seem like an offensive person. I believe that of all my students, Caterina will make the best mentor for you. Unfortunately, I feel uneasy about keeping you here. Something bad is coming our way. I wish you the best, but you, your sister, and Caterina should leave the temple within a week. I advise you to leave your buffalo yaks here and ride on Cat's sky bison."

Tori and the monk spoke until the sun began to set, and then Tori retired to a spare room for the night. Trina slept in the next room over. As Tori drifted off, she hoped that airbending would prove to be easier than earthbending was. Earthbending was difficult.

~

Fire Nation Princess Jade stopped that night in Omashu, quickly to be called to by a soldier walking around the town square.

"Princess Jade," the Fire Nation soldier dropped to his knees in a bow.

Jade recognized the voice. "Beck?"

He rose. "Yes." He removed his helmet and tossed his hair back and forth. "Did you miss me?" Jade glared at her ex and shot a fireball at him, which he diffused. "That wasn't very nice," he smirked.

"You destroyed my chance to redeem my honor!" She breathed fire in the air with frustration.

"Baby, I'm sorry," Beck apologized and then retained his composure and bowed. "I am sorry, Princess."

"Sorry is not good enough. Unless you can find me the Avatar."

Beck nodded. "Consider it done. I recently found a non-bender who said he could find her without a problem. Something about a shirshu. He is a little weird, though."

"We will find him in the morning. For now, I need to sleep. Where are you staying?"

Beck clasped his hands behind his back. "Actually, I'm staying with shirshu boy. His name is Robbie. And he has a pet ring-tailed flying lemur named Rex. I have no clue how he got ahold of an Air Nomad animal though."

"Take me to him," Jade commanded, handing the reins of her mongoose dragon to a nearby peasant who had bowed in the Princess's presence.

Beck offered Jade her arm, which she accepted and he led her across the city to a decent-sized villa.

A gangly, awkward boy answered the door with his lemur perched on his shoulder. "Princess." The boy fell to his knees.

"Rise," Jade sighed. "You are Robbie?"

"Y-yes," Robbie studdered. "Do you wish to stay here, too?"

"She does," Beck answered.

"C-come in," Robbie backed away from the door and stared at Jade as she walked inside. "Beck, sir, you will have to room with me so that the Princess may have her own room."

"No, no," Jade cut Robbie off, causing him to shudder in intimidation. "Beck will sleep in my chamber. I am not accustomed to traveling without protection."

"As you wish, Princess," Robbie bowed. "Let me go prepare your room."

Robbie disappeared up the stairs and Beck led the Fire Nation Princess out to the villa's courtyard, where he lit the fire in the middle.

Jade and Beck sat on two mats around a table, reminiscing about Beck's recent military endeavors. A few minutes later, Robbie scurried into the courtyard carrying a pot of tea. He poured a cup for each of the teenagers, starting with the princess.

She took a sip of her tea and spat it out all over Rex, who had taken his position on the table beside Robbie. "It's cold!" she shouted.

Beck reached over to her cup and warmed the tea. "Better, Princess?"

Jade took another sip. "Better. You are lucky that he is here, Earth Kingdom boy."

Shaking, Robbie bowed his head. "Thank you, Princess."

Happily sipping her tea, Jade grew an amused smile and looked over at the shaking boy across from her. "So, Robbie, tell me about yourself."

Robbie gulped. "What would you like to know, Princess?"

"Do you bend? How did you get an Air Nomad animal?"

"I-I'm not a bender, Princess."

"I see. Are you good with weapons?"

"Yes, Princess. Boomerang and slingshot."

"That makes sense, since you cannot bend. And the animal?"

"My father bought him from a couple sandbenders at an auction. He was just a baby then, so I've raised-"

"You talk too much, Robbie." Jade finished sipping her tea. "But I would like you to travel with me when I leave tomorrow."

"It would be my pleasure, Princess." Robbie bowed.

Finished drinking, the princess rose to her feet. "I will retire to my room now. Beck, take me there. Robbie, bring me food when you prepare a meal."

Beck rose beside her and she looped her arm in his. Together, they walked away to Jade's room, where they sat cross-legged on the floor facing each other.

"Jade, we need to talk," Beck started.

"What?" she snapped. "Why?"

"I wanted to apologize for leaving you."

"Prove it." Folding her arms, Jade looked out the window.

Without a word, Beck pushed himself up onto his knees and leaned over toward Jade, planting a soft kiss on her snowy cheek. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Jade turned and met his lips with her own. "I still don't forgive you," she murmured after they parted.

He hugged her curvy body close and kissed her deeply. "Well, let's go for a walk after Robbie brings dinner. I want to show you something."

Crystal blue eyes met chocolate brown and Beck could have sworn he saw the corners of Jade's mouth perk up into a smile.


End file.
